Abstract

We develop an explicit skein-theoretical algorithm to compute the
Alexander polynomial of a 3-manifold from a surgery presentation
employing the methods used in the construction of quantum invariants
of 3-manifolds. As a prerequisite we establish and prove a rather
unexpected equivalence between the topological quantum field theory
constructed by Frohman and Nicas using the homology of
$U(1)$-representation varieties on the one side and the
combinatorially constructed Hennings TQFT based on the quasitriangular
Hopf algebra $\mathcal{N} = \mathbb{Z}/2 \ltimes \bigwedge^*
\mathbb{R}^2$ on the other side. We find that both TQFT's are $\SL
(2,\mathbb{R})$-equivariant functors and, as such, are isomorphic.
The $\SL (2,\mathbb{R})$-action in the Hennings construction comes
from the natural action on $\mathcal{N}$ and in the case of the
Frohman--Nicas theory from the Hard--Lefschetz decomposition of the
$U(1)$-moduli spaces given that they are naturally K\"ahler. The
irreducible components of this TQFT, corresponding to simple
representations of $\SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ and $\Sp(2g,\mathbb{Z})$, thus
yield a large family of homological TQFT's by taking sums and products.
We give several examples of TQFT's and invariants that appear to fit
into this family, such as Milnor and Reidemeister Torsion,
Seiberg--Witten theories, Casson type theories for homology circles
{\it \`a la} Donaldson, higher rank gauge theories following Frohman
and Nicas, and the $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ reductions of
Reshetikhin--Turaev theories over the cyclotomic integers $\mathbb{Z}
[\zeta_p]$. We also conjecture that the Hennings TQFT for
quantum-$\mathfrak{sl}_2$ is the product of the Reshetikhin--Turaev
TQFT and such a homological TQFT.